The softswitch advantage

Softswitches and packet switching are transforming telecom network architectures. The author explains how calls between mobile subscribers in the Kingdom of Tonga are being controlled from Los Angeles. Because the media-path controllers of packet networks do not need to incorporate specialised switching hardware, they can, be implemented in software alone. Their apt name, 'softswitches', reflects this hardware independence. Softswitches require only a general-purpose processor and packet network connectivity, and, consequently, can take advantage of the latest off-the-shelf processors, making them many times cheaper, and orders of magnitude more powerful than legacy telephone exchanges and MSC equipment.